Delonte West will rejoin Mavericks today following one-day suspension

DALLAS -- The suspension the Dallas Mavericks issued guard Delonte West only lasted one day.

Coach Rick Carlisle lifted West's suspension Tuesday night and said the embattled eight-year veteran will be in uniform for tonight's 7:30 game at American Airlines Center against the Phoenix Suns.

"Delonte West will be back with the team [today] for shootaround," Carlisle said, "and be available for [tonight's] game vs. Phoenix."

Carlisle suspended West "for conduct detrimental to the team" after a locker room outburst following Monday's 123-104 triumph over the Houston Rockets. West was seen by fans and media members angrily pulling off his jersey and tossing it to a fan on his way to the locker room after the game.

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However, after Tuesday's meeting with general manager Donnie Nelson and Carlisle, West was cleared to return to the Mavs -- more than likely with some sort of restrictions.

As far as West's teammates go, they appear to truly love and admire what he brings to the table.

"He's a great dude," guard O.J. Mayo said. "You hear stories about all of us.

"They say I'm the next thing to a killer, so it is what it is. Perception and reputation is everything, but D-West is great in the locker room. He's helped me a lot this season."

A year after West played tenacious defense while averaging 9.6 points and 3.2 assists per game, the Mavs signed him to a one-year, $1.2 million free-agent contract this past summer. Mayo, meanwhile, has no doubt that the players will applaud West's return and quickly put this matter behind them.

"By the end of the day, we've got to keep on getting better, and when he comes back, we'll have our arms open for him and welcome him back and just continue working," Mayo said. "I'm pretty sure guys will give D-West a call and make sure all is well."

Game was personal

By the time Mavs forward Jae Crowder checked into Monday's game against the Rockets, he was seething.

Crowder, in fact, was seething before the game started. And it all stemmed from last June's NBA Draft.

The Rockets have two players -- guard Jeremy Lamb and forward Royce White -- who were chosen ahead of Crowder in the draft. Lamb was the 12th pick, and White was the 16th pick, while Crowder was selected in the second round with the 34th overall pick.

Crowder didn't get into Monday's game until the 2:54 mark of the third quarter. He wound up playing 15 minutes and tallying 18 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, while Lamb and White each scored just seven points and played 23 minutes apiece.

"I thought he took on the challenge of some of the guys he felt that were picked ahead of him," guard O.J. Mayo said of Crowder. "So that's the kind of player he is -- [playing with] a chip on his shoulder.

"He was the Big East Player of the Year last year [at Marquette]. He felt a little disrespected [how the draft played out], but he's happy to be here and he's been working his tail end off."